When 93-year-old Elaina Gonzalez is asked about her toned body, charming smile, and youthful features, she always downplays them.<\/p>\n
She prefers to show humility rather than, as she puts it, be “bragaddacious” about her appearance.<\/p>\n
“I’m just a regular person who believes that taking care of yourself and saying please and thank you takes you a little further in life,” she told Business Insider.<\/p>\n
She minimizes her yearslong stint as a body double for a glamorous Hollywood star \u2014 whom she can’t name for contract reasons \u2014 due to her low-key nature.<\/p>\n
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Elaina Gonzalez swears by the mantra, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Elaina Gonzalez<\/p>\n
Still, the grandmother of 11 from Lakeville, Minnesota, loves to share her advice to younger generations about health and longevity.<\/p>\n
She follows a strict regimen of yoga <\/a>and dancing at the gym at least four mornings a week, maintains the same weight, and swears by the theory, “don’t sweat the small stuff.”<\/p>\n Here are her top life lessons:<\/p>\n Never stop exercising<\/p>\n Gonzalez, born in December 1931, was raised by European parents who emphasized the importance of health and regular exercise from a young age.<\/p>\n Do you have a story about longevity to share with Business Insider? Please send details to Jane Ridley at jridley@insider.com<\/p>\n Her father, a police officer <\/a>from Switzerland, would encourage her and her two brothers to run to build stamina and lift weights to develop strength.<\/p>\n Around the age of 19, Gonzalez was talent-spotted and cast as a leg model for a commercial. It led to other gigs, including the body double work in Los Angeles.<\/a><\/p>\n She maintained her gym memberships for decades, most recently joining a branch of Life Time <\/a>near her home, where she exercises every Monday to Thursday morning and on alternate Fridays.<\/p>\n Gonzalez is front and center in her exercise classes.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Kaylee Sternhagen, Life Time<\/p>\n Starting at 8 a.m., she performs almost an hour of yoga, takes a break, and then attends an aerobics-style dance session called Total Body. “I’m the oldest person there,” she said.<\/p>\n Outside the gym, she takes her dogs, Theo and Lily, for daily walks. <\/p>\n Watch your food intake, but don’t obsess about it<\/p>\n Gonzalez’s breakfast typically consists of fruit, a piece of toast, and a cup of coffee. “You don’t want to feel light-headed at the gym,” she said.<\/p>\n Then she has an early lunch \u2014 her biggest meal of the day \u2014 of foods such as pasta, vegetables, chopped chicken, or another lean protein.<\/p>\n Dinner, which she typically eats before 6 p.m. unless she is going out, is often a lighter meal, possibly a combination of fruit and cheese.<\/p>\n She stays hydrated <\/a>by drinking at least eight glasses of water daily.<\/p>\n “Of course, I’d love to have a hot fudge sundae every day, but I resist,” she said. “I prefer to eat well to fuel my body for all the exercise I do, but I don’t count calories or become obsessive,” Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n Gonzalez follows a simple diet and beauty regimen.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Elaina Gonzalez<\/p>\n At 5 feet 3 inches tall, she has maintained a healthy weight of around 130 pounds.<\/p>\n Follow a simple beauty and sleep plan<\/p>\n The nonagenarian doesn’t invest in expensive beauty products, such as scrubs or lotions.<\/p>\n Instead, she swears by regular, drugstore face cream mixed with a CBD-infused<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I’ve been using it for at least a decade, and it works magic on your skin,” she said. “It keeps it soft and hydrated \u2014 especially in hot climates \u2014 and staves off wrinkles.”<\/p>\n She also drops a tiny amount of the liquid under her tongue. “I feel like it’s my secret weapon to feeling and looking so much better.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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